Removable recessed lighting fixture



N. R. SCHWARTZ REMOVABLE RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1958 Oct. 3l, 1961 N. R. SCHWARTZ 3,007,040

REMOVABLE RECESSED LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed June 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ZTI-Q 5 United York Filed June 24, 1958, Ser. No. 744,261 4 Claims. (Cl. 24U-78) This invention relates to a removable recessed lighting xture of the type in which the housing for the lighting unit is embedded within a ceiling, wall or floor.

The lamp within the housing is retractable therefrom and adjustable therein, being mounted on a supporting arm and appropriate swivel units. In this connection it is` similar to the unit described in applicants Patent No. 2,636,979.

' In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a unit wherein the lamp or its supporting arm may be readily vremoved from or attached to the recessed housing. -This greatly facilitates the installation of the unit in that the housing may be iirst mounted in the ceiling, Wall, or the like and then after being readily secured therein, the lamp and arm assembly can be removably attached thereto by means of a single bolt member.

' Thus, the housing during the installation procedure is completely free and open. Moreover, since all parts of the housing are readily accessible when the lighting tixture is removed, there is no problem of having the presence of the lighting fixture interfere with the repair of the electrical connections or the means for fastening the housing to the supporting surface.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a recessed lighting fixture having an adjustably, positionable lighting unit therein, which unit and arm assembly is readily removed from or secured to the housing therefor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simplilied arrangement wherein the loosening ortightening of a single bolt or screw will allow for theready removal of the lamp and arm assembly.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent when taken in connection with the following description and the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is a cross-sectional View of a recessed lighting unit of the present invention, its housing being illustrated as having been embedded in a support, thesolid lines showing the lamp in the housing and the dotted lines' showing the lamp propelled from its housing and positioned atV two of its many possible angles.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the novel means for removably securing the supporting arm -for the adjustable lighting unit to the housing. An external view of the swivel joint, arm adapter, and arm support units is also shown in this figure.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional View of the elementsl tes Patent a vention are inter-connected by means of a single bolt member.

In accordance with the present invention, there is pro- 'vided a recessed lighting fixture comprising a hollow cylindrical housing having a roof at one end thereof and at the opposite and open end thereof a peripheral ring. The lixture has mounted therein an adjustably positioned lighting unit, the lighting unit being supported by an arm terminating in a swivel unit. This swivel unit is then removably secured to the said peripheral ring.

The means for securing the unit to the ring comprises an arm adapter member secured to the said ring and an arm support member secured to the said swivel unit, the latter being removably secured to the arm adapter. More specifically,` as is hereinafter described in more detail, the arm adapter is secured to the arm support member by means of a single threaded bolt which readily connects or disconnects the two units.

The arm adapter and arm support members are designed to engage each other in a nesting relationship so that a single bolt passing through appropriate holes in the two will secure them together.

Referring now to the drawings, the recessed lighting unit of the present invention comprises, in part, a hollow cylindrical housing 16 having a roof 16a and an open bottom.

Within the hollow interior of housing 16 there is provided a lighting unit comprising a reliector 17 herein illustrated as having a substantially conical contour, but any other suitable and desirable reflector may be used in its stead.

Within the reflector 17 there is provided a socket 32 and extending partly into said reflector through an open` ing in the relatively narrow end of the reflector there is one end of a swivel unit 20 in which the socket 32 is engeged, the other end of swivel unit 20 having secured therein one end of a substantially goose-neckshaped arm 18, the other end of goose-neck shaped arm 18 being secured to swivel unit 19.

At the base of the swivel unit 19 is an arm support member 21, which in accordance with the present invention, is detachably mounted to the arm adapter member 50 by means of asingle bolt, or screw 51. The arm adapter is rigidly secured by welding, rivets or screws 53 or otherwise to a peripheral ring 23 which is in the rounded housing shown herein as an eccentric circumferential member. Y

The arm support member 21 carries thereon projections 5S and 56 which, asl shown in FIGURE 7, are insertable into the arm adapter member so as to engage the inner peripheral surface thereof 57 thereby allowing the units to be placed together in a nesting arrangement. The arm shown in'FIGURE 2 taken alone lines 3-3 thereof and looking in the direction ofthe arrows.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional View of FIGURE 3 taken along the lines 4 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 5 is a top view of a peripheral ring secured to the open end of the housing showing how it would appear without the lamp and adjustable arm assembly secured thereto. In this connection FIGURE 5 would be a view of FIGURE l along the lines 5-5 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 6 is a bottom view of the same peripheral i ring also indicated as a view along the lines 6 6 of FIG- URE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

' -FIGURE7 is an exploded view showing just how the arm adapter and arm support means of the present inadapter is provided with a suitable bolt hole 60 through which the bolt 51 is readily inserted, the opposite internal surface thereof containing a corresponding hole '61 for engaging the tip of the bolt.

The arm supporting member 21 carries correspondingly aligned holes 63 and 64 so that when the bolt is4 inserted, it passes successively through hole or slot 60,V

hole 63, hole 64 into the hole or recess 61, thereby allowing the single bolt member to readily secure these units to each other.

The bolt 51 carries a suitable head 68, is threaded at 69, the opening 64 in the arm support unit being correpondingly threaded. Note that the bolt will not fall out of the arm assembly when it is removed. A circumferential ridge is provided therein, which ridge carries a split washer 71. The washerrestricts the inward and outward movement of the bolt as it is larger ,than either hole 63 or 64- thereby causing the bolt to always be en-4 gaged by bothof the projections 55 and 56. Of course,

Patented Oct. 31, 1961 if it is desired to remove or replace the bolt, removal of the Washer will make this possible.

Alignment of the nesting arm adapter and arm support units when the bolts are in place is illustrated in FIG- URE 4.

Housing 16 terminates at its lower end in a flange 26 which may be provided with an offset 27. A substantially U-shaped edge plate 28 is adapted .to cover flange l26. The upper leg of edge plate 28 is shorter than the lower leg so that, when the edge plate is in its adjusted position, the shorter, upper leg will cover only a portion of the upper surface of the flange 26, and the lower, longer leg yof 'edge plate 28 will extend along the lower surface of `flange 26 to Ia point beyond offset 27. Thus a track is formed between the lower leg of edge plate 2S and the part of llange 26 between housing 16 and ofset 2.7. There is further provided an eccentric ring 23, hereabove referred to, having a circular opening 29. Ring 23 is provided with an offset 24 and terminates in -a flange 25 which is rotatably engaged in the track formed by edge plate 28 and flange 'Ihe purpose of the opening 29 in eccentric ring 23 and the corresponding opening 30 which constitutes the bottom of housing 16 is to permit the withdrawal of rellector 17 from housing 16 or its reinsertion into the housing.v

Reflector 17 may be provided with an incandescent light bulb 31 and for that purpose there is provided in rellector 17 a screw socket 32 or any other type of socketv the base of screw socket 32 being secured to the lower end of swivel member 20, the said lower end entering into reilector 17 in a manner hereabove referred to. The housing 16 may be provided with a plurality of vent openings 34 to cool the interior of the housing i16 (see FIG- URE 1).

To secure the lighting unit to a support, there is provided near the lower end of housing 16 and about its exterior a ring 35, adapted to slide vertically upon the housing, the ring 35 being provided with a plurality of screw openings 37 at spaced intervals about its periphery, and housing 16 is provided with a plurality of vertically arranged, spaced apart slots 38, one for each of said screws 37, the purpose of which will presently become more fully apparent.

Roof 16a of housing 16 may be provided centrally thereof, or at any other desirable and suitable position with an opening through which 'conventional electric wire 39 may be entered into the housing as'illustrated in FIGURE l, and a wire clamp 40 may be provided to cover opening 16h. Ring 35 may be provided with a plurality of brackets 42, one for each of said screws 37 are secured to ring 35.`

In order to facilitate the manipulation of reilector 17, a linger gripping element 43 may be provided at the edge thereof, or at any other suitable and convenient location (see FIGURE 6).

In order to prevent the continuous rotation of the reilector 17 in the same direction, housing 16, near the bottom thereof may be provided at one point with an indentation 44, which is adapted to lie in the path of swivel unit 19.

The operation of the device is as follows: after the lighting unit has been electrically wired in the conventional manner, and after an opening has been provided in the ceiling, iloor or wall into which the lighting ,unit is to be placed, housing 16 is completely embedded in the opening provided for it. If it is desired to cause the lamp to cast light rays directly downward, outward or upward,

depending upon the position of the lighting unit, reilector 17 is permitted to remain in housing 16 as illustrated in FIGURE l. When it is desired to achieve angularity, reflector 17 is withdrawn from housing 16, for which purpose linger grip 43 has been provided. The reector may be withdrawn directly downwardly, as illustrated in dotted lines inFIGURE l, or turned` angularly up to substantially 45 as is shown in dotted lines in FIGURE l of the drawing. At any of its adjusted angular positions, the reflector may be rotated about its axis by merely turning it, together with eccentric ring 23 with which it is joined. The reflector Iwill remain in any of its adjusted positions. In order to avoid twisting and the eventual breaking of the electrical wires in housing 16, which would occur if the reflector were continually turned in the same direction, `a stop has been provided. When the stop has been reached-the relector cannot be turned in the same direction, but must be turned in the other direction until the stop has again been reached. It will -be noted that ring 23 has been illustrated as being eccentric. This has been done to allow room at the wider section for swivel unit 19 and its base 21. Obviously, if in the device illustrated the ring were made uniform in width, the diameter of rellector 17 would have to be reduced.y Whenever a smaller rellector is desired, this can, of course, be done.

In the foregoing, the present invention has been described only in connection with preferred embodiments thereof. Many variations and modifications of the principles of this invention within the scope of the description herein are obvious. Accordingly it is preferred to be bound not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appending claims.

I claim:

1. A recessed lighting fixture comprising a hollow cylindrical housing having a roof at one end thereof and, at the open end thereof a peripheral ring; said lfixture having mounted therein an adjustably-positionable lighting unit; said lighting unit comprising a swivel mounted shade and being supported by an arm terminating in a swivel unit, the said swivel unit being removably secured to the said peripheral ring; the means for securing said swivel unit to said ring comprising an armA adapter member secured to the said ring; said arm adapter being in the shape of a sleeve-like body, an arm support member rigidly secured to the said swivel unit, and adapted to nest within said arm adapter and a single threaded bolt passing through aligned holes in said nesting arm adapter and arm support member for removably interconnecting said nesting arm support and arm adapter members; said bolt having a circumferential slot therein, and within said slot, washer means for preventing ready removal of the bolt from the said larm support member.

2. A recessed lighting lixture comprising a hollUW Gyhndrical housing having a roof at one end thereof and at the open end thereof an eccentric circumferential ring; said fixture having mounted therein an adjustably-pos-y tionable lighting unit; said lighting unit comprising a swivel mounted shade and being supported by an arm terminating in a swivel unit, the said swivel unit being removably secured to the said eccentric circumferentialv ring; the means for securing said swivel unit to said ring comprising an arm adapter member secured to the said ring; said arm adapter being in the shape of a sleevelike body, an arm support member rigidly secured to the said swivel unit, having two parallel projections extending axially therefrom and adapted to nest within the inner surface of the said arm adapter, and a single threaded bolt passing through aligned holes in .said nesting arm adapter and arm support member for removably interconnecting said nesting `arm supportY andarm adapter members.

3. A recessed lighting fixture comprisingv a hollow cylindrical housing having a roof 'at one end thereof and at the open end thereof an eccentric circumferential ring; said fixture having mounted therein Van adjustably-positionable lighting unit; said lighting unit comprising a swivel mounted shade'and being supported by an arm terminating in a swivel unit, the said swivel unit being removably secured to the said 'eccentric circumferential ring; the means for securing said swivel unit to saidring comprising an arm adapter member secured to the said ring; said arm adapter being in the shape of a sleeve-like body, an arm support member rigidly securedto the said swivel unit having two parallel projections extending axially therefrom and adapted to nest within the inner surface of the said arm adapter, and a single threaded bolt passing through aligned holes in said nesting am adapter and arm support member for removably interconnecting said nesting arm support and arm adapter member; said bolt having a circumferential slot therein, and within said slot, washer means for preventing ready removal of the bolt from the said arm support member.

4. A recessed lighting fixture comprising a hollow cylindrical housing having a roof at one end thereof and at the open end thereof an eccentric circumferential ring; said fixture having mounted therein an adjustably-positionable lighting unit; said lighting unit comprising a swivel mounted shade and being supported by an arm terminating in a swivel unit, the said swivel unit being removably secured to the said eccentric circumferential ring; the means for securing said swivel unit tosaid ring comprising an arm adapter member secured to the said ring; said arm adapter being in the shape of a sleeve-like body, an arm support member rigidly secured to the said swivel unit having two parallel projections extending axially therefrom and adapted to nest within the inner surface of the said arm adapter, and a single threaded bolt passing through aligned holes in said nesting arm adapter and arm support member for removably interconnecting said nesting arm support and arm adapter member; said bolt having a circumferential slot ltherein, and within said slot, washer means for preventing ready removal of the bolt from the said arm support member; said washer means being of a larger diameter than either of said aligned holes thereby restricting axial movement of said bolt and causing it to remain engaged by both of the said pa-rallel projections.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,263,783 Maier Apr. 23, 1918 2,463,124 Sims Mar. 1, 1949 2,636,979 Schwartz Apr. 28, 1953 2,640,671 Grady June 2, 1953 2,753,445 Thomas et al. July 3, 1956 2,802,933 Broadwin Aug. 13, 1957 

